In today's manufacturing environment there is an ever growing need to meet more stringent environmental regulations, an ever increasing need to reduce water use, an increasing need to reduce energy use and an overall need to increase quality control and cut costs. Parts' cleaning is generally viewed as a simple process however quite often the lack of quality control in the parts' cleaning process often leads to rejected end products or rework. Cleaning solutions are becoming more sophisticated and thus more expensive. Chemical discharge to public facilities and chemical evaporation to the environment is becoming a major issue in most countries. Energy conservation has become a major cost cutting avenue.
The present invention focuses upon a reduction in up front chemical costs, minimizing water use, limited air pollution, increased quality control and reduced energy costs for most manufacturing parts' cleaning. The process often reduces the number of steps and process tanks required that could also lead to reduced capital costs.
The basic premise of the process is to chemically interact with the solid surface so as to reduce the physical wet ability of the residue fluid being removed. A fluid at its vapor pressure is vaporized at the solid surface either by heating the part or reducing the total pressure in the processing chamber.
A chemical, preferably an oxidizing agent, dissolved in the treating solution is vaporized and can rapidly diffuse to and oxidize the surface. The etching of the surface leads to a debonding of the fluid from the surface. The vapor being formed at the surface tends to lift the residue from the surface and transport the residue to the bulk liquid. The reacting chemical may also oxidize the liquid residue however the residue is not emulsified and rises to the surface to be physically removed from the vessel. The process fluid is essentially clean and can be recycled for reuse.